


prom is a four-letter word

by starlight_sugar



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Normal High School
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-21
Updated: 2014-03-21
Packaged: 2018-01-16 10:29:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1344142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starlight_sugar/pseuds/starlight_sugar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's prom season. Ruby has a problem.</p>
            </blockquote>





	prom is a four-letter word

**Author's Note:**

> written for rt rareship week (rtrs week on tumblr). unfortunately, the only self-indulgent ship i could not find a way to include was ren/sun. soon, friends. soon.

Exhibit A:

One (1) poster in the hall of Beacon High School.

"Beacon Prom Tickets: On Sale Next Monday"

..

"Prom!" Ruby says, trying for a reaction. Weiss sniffs haughtily, Blake doesn't look up from her book, and Yang shrugs. "C'mon, guys, it's prom!"

"Ruby, you're only fourteen," Yang points out. "And since most juniors aren't fourteen, we're going to tell you something that upperclassmen don't tell fourteen-year-olds about prom."

"It's pointless," Blake says, turning the page of her book and taking another bite of her tuna sandwich.

"But it's prom!" Ruby protests. She doesn't understand why it's not a big deal to them - it's everything she's dreamed of since she was eleven, okay, and Yang knows that.

“The only thing that matters about prom is prom court,” Weiss says disinterestedly, pointedly avoiding eye contact and mixing up her fancy home-chef-made alfredo pasta with a fork. “And that doesn’t matter until you’re a senior. Therefore, prom isn’t important until next year.”

“Or never,” Blake mutters.

“But - but prom!” Ruby tries one more time. She looks desperately at Yang, who shrugs again. “Oh, come on! Nothing?”

Yang pats Ruby’s shoulder sympathetically. “Hey, if you really want to go and you can’t find someone to go with, I can go with you.”

Ruby manages a smile, because she really doesn’t want to go to prom with her sister, but she’d rather go with her sister than not at all. “Thanks, Yang.”

“Pointless,” Blake repeats, and takes another bite of her tuna sandwich.

..

Exhibit B:

One (1) sheet of notes passed between Ruby Rose and Jaune Arc during Mr. Oobleck’s American history class.

R: hey did you see the prom poster?

J: yeah i’m excited!! :) pyrrha’s gonna ask someone and ren and nora are going and we’re going to group! hbu?

R: ugh noooo :( nobody else thinks it’s important! but i’ve wanted to go since like forever!

J: yeah and you’re the youngest junior at beacon you should get to go!

R: right?! but w and b are being ridic about it and y offered to be my pity-date

J: you’re going to prom with your sister?

R: ew not if i can help it but i need a date so she lets me go

J: anyone in mind?

R: yeah….

J: ask them!!

R: but what if he says no?

(The conversation ends at this point when Oobleck asks Jaune a question about Franklin Roosevelt and he has to save himself. Jaune places the note in his binder and promptly forgets about it. Ruby does not.)

..

“But he’s already got people he’s going with!” Ruby protests. “You know how the four of them are - it’s going to be Pyrrha and some really nice guy and they’ll be all intimidating and perfect, then Ren will probably go with Nora because we all sort of know it’s coming, right, and he’s just going to go with them and none of them will have a problem with it, and-”

“Ruby,” Yang says patiently, “you’re overthinking this.”

“But!” Ruby throws her arms in the air to punctuate her point. “But Yang! He’s with them! And they’re a group and I don’t want to-”

“Ruby!” Yang grabs her shoulders. “Okay, first of all, I know who Pyrrha’s asking to prom, and it’s the exact opposite of some really nice guy, but it’s someone you know. Secondly, you’re talking yourself out of this! You need to go for it!”

“But?” Ruby tries one more time.

“But nothing,” Yang says firmly. “You need to ask him.”

..

Exhibit C:

Seventeen (17) messages in the group message between Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long

From: Blake (sent at 4:12 PM)  
So it turns out I’m going to prom.

From: Ruby (sent at 4:13 PM)  
!!!!!!!!

From: Yang (sent at 4:13 PM)  
Get it girl!

From: Ruby (sent at 4:14 PM)  
Did somebody ask you??

From: Weiss (sent at 4:15 PM)  
It’s entirely possible that I will also be going.

From: Yang (sent at 4:15 PM)  
Pyrrha?

From: Weiss (sent at 4:17 PM)  
Maybe.

From: Blake (sent at 4:18 PM)  
Sun asked me earlier today. It was very sweet.

From: Yang (sent at 4:19 PM)  
Wow, now I’m the only one without someone to go with?

From: Weiss (sent at 4:20 PM)  
So we should go with Pyrrha’s group, yes?

From: Blake (sent at 4:20 PM)  
Wait, Ruby asked someone?

From: Yang (sent at 4:21 PM)  
Well, not yet…

From: Weiss (sent at 4:23 PM)  
Who?

From: Ruby (sent at 4:25 PM)  
YAAAAAAANG!

From: Yang (sent at 4:26 PM)  
lol :p love ya sis!

From: Blake (sent at 4:28 PM)  
Is it Jaune?

Ruby has left the group chat (4:29 PM)

From: Weiss (sent at 4:31 PM)  
Well, that’s a yes.

..

“She’s not going to ask me,” Jaune says miserably.

Pyrrha sighs on the other end of the Skype call. “Jaune, you’re being unreasonable.”

“No, I’m not! She’s- and I’m-” Jaune flails his arms around, trying to encompass how incredible Ruby is, and how not incredible he is.

“Chin up, Jaune!” Nora says brightly, glancing up from where she’s opening a bottle of hot pink nail polish. Ren, next to her, wrinkles his nose at the smell. “She’s definitely going to ask you!”

“She’s definitely not,” Jaune protests. “Did you miss the arm-waving? Because I can do it again. She’s not asking me.”

“Then you should ask her,” Pyrrha answers decisively. Ren and Nora both nod, the former stoically and the latter enthusiastically.

“But! Ruby! She’s-” Jaune sighs, because he knows there’s no way he can convince his friend that they’ve all gone absolutely out of their minds. “Maybe,” he lies.

“I’m holding you to that,” Pyrrha says warningly. Jaune gulps, because that sounds like a promise.

..

Exhibit D:

Six (6) text messages between Pyrrha Nikos and Weiss Schnee

From: Pyrrha (5:29 PM)  
I don’t think he’s going to ask her.

From: Weiss (5:31 PM)  
Ruby left the group message, which she’s never done before. I think she’s scared.

From: Pyrrha (5:32 PM)  
Would it help if I talked to her?

From: Weiss (5:34 PM)  
Doubtful. She just needs to get it together.

From: Pyrrha (5:37 PM)  
Like we did?

From: Weiss (5:38 PM)  
Exactly.

..

“Jaune!” Ruby grabs his arm on impulse, and he turns around, looking surprised. The quad is out of her way between her classes but it’s directly in his path, and he knows it. So he has to know that she intentionally came looking for him. She feels like her heart is in her throat, but she has to do this. She has to at least try it, right? And if it doesn’t work, well, maybe prom just isn’t for her.

“Ruby!” Jaune blinks, and Ruby feels her heart stop in her chest. She has to say this before she loses her nerve. “What’s up?”

“I - I was-” she swallows hard, tries to stop herself from stammering, keeps her gaze fixed on her toes. “I wanted - do you - prom?”

Jaune freezes, she can feel it without even looking. “What?”

“Prom,” Ruby repeats, because once it’s out it’s a little easier to say again. “I mean, I know you’re going with your friends, but apparently prom isn’t as lame as my friends were saying, and they’re all going, and I told you there was someone I wanted to ask-”

“Did they say no?” Jaune asks, sounding sympathetic.

Ruby shakes her head, trying not to laugh. He just doesn’t get it, and that’s sort of sweet. “No, I actually… it was you. I wanted to ask you.”

“Oh.” And, a moment later, “Ohhhh!”

“Yeah.” Ruby scuffs the toe of her boot on the floor nervously. “So. Prom?”

She chances a look up at Jaune’s face, but she barely gets a proper look before he’s sweeping her off her feet, into a hug, and swinging her in a circle. “Jaune!” she squeaks, slinging her arms around his neck as quickly as she can. “What are you-”

“Absolutely yes!” he cheers, and gently sets her back on her feet. “I mean, um, yeah, that’d - we can go with Pyrrha and Weiss, right?”

Ruby grins up at him, and he grins down at her, and this - this is what she always imagined getting her perfect prom date would be like.

..

Exhibit E:

Nine (9) messages in the group chat between Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long

Ruby has joined the group chat (11:06 AM)

From: Ruby (11:06 AM)  
So you guys were right.

From: Weiss (11:17 AM)  
Told you. Stop messaging us during school.

From: Ruby (11:19 AM)  
Weiss, you just messaged me during school.

From: Blake (11:24 AM)  
Congrats. Five-way date?

From: Yang (11:29 AM)  
If I can get a date!

From: Ruby (11:33 AM)  
Yang, you can get a date. All you need to say it “Hey, I need a date!” and you’ll get a date.

From: Yang (11:36 AM)  
True…

From: Weiss (11:42 AM)  
Everyone put your phones away. You should be taking notes. -Ms. Goodwitch

From: Ruby (11:43 AM)  
Oops. Sorry, Ms. G!

..

Exhibit F:

One (1) text message from Yang Xiao Long to Ruby Rose

proud of you sis xo

 

 


End file.
